Silicone elastomers have been used extensively in personal care applications for their unique silky and powdery sensory profile. Most of these elastomers can gel volatile silicones fluids as well as low polarity organic solvents such as isododecane. Representative examples of such silicone elastomers are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,210, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,116. To improve compatibilities of silicone elastomers with various personal care ingredients, alkyls, polyether, amines or other organofunctional groups have been grafted onto the silicone elastomer backbone. Representative of such organofunctional silicone elastomers are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,487, U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,210, U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,581, U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,986, U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,604, U.S. Pat. No. 6,262,170, U.S. Pat. No. 6,531,540, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,365,670. Many of these silicone elastomers have limited compatibilities with various personal care ingredients, personal care actives and healthcare actives. These elastomers loose thickening and gelling efficiency, and even sensory benefits in the presence of personal care ingredients, personal care actives and healthcare actives. There is a need to further improve compatibilities of silicone elastomers with various personal care ingredients and actives.
However, there is still a need to further improve the efficiency of gelling volatile cosmetic fluids such as volatile silicones by silicone elastomers, and in particular to improve the rheological thickening effects by the addition of silicone elastomers to volatile cosmetic fluids. Furthermore, additional benefits are also sought for gelled compositions, such as improving the clarity of gelled silicone compositions and/or improved aesthetics upon application on skin.
The present inventors have discovered that silicone elastomers derived from cyclic organohydrogensiloxanes provide gelled compositions efficiently. The resulting gelled compositions also possess additional benefits, such as improved aesthetics and improved compatibilities with personal care ingredients and actives.